Cutting rate control for an ice drill

ABSTRACT

A cutting head includes a main body that is attachable to an ice drill shaft at a top side. The main body includes a bottom side that has a bottom peripheral surface. The cutting head includes at least one cutting edge that is disposed on the main body. The cutting edge is configured to perform a cutting operation at the bottom side of the main body. The cutting head includes a cutting rate control pad that is disposed on the bottom side of the main body. The cutting rate control pad extends away from the bottom peripheral surface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/490,431, filed Apr. 18, 2017; which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/390,982, filed Apr. 18, 2016, and titled“ICE DRILL CUT RATE CONTROL,” the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Ice drills are used to create holes in frozen bodies of water so that afisherman can access the unfrozen water underneath the ice. Gas poweredice drills have traditionally been the tool of choice for drilling largeice fishing holes, while manual, hand-twist augers have served thosethat were happy with a small ice fishing hole. Recently, battery poweredice drills have gained acceptance due to their light weight.

When temperatures fluctuate, the cutting characteristics of the ice alsochange. For example, the ice at the bottom of the ice fishing holebehaves differently than the ice at the top of the hole. The ice at thebottom of the hole can be relatively soft and cause the ice drill tograb or stick at break through. Therefore, to break through, sufficientpower is required from the ice drill. However, specifically with respectto the electric ice drill, the more power that is expended drilling andbreaking through the hole, the shorter the life span (i.e., batterylife) of the ice drill. Therefore, improvement in ice drill technologyis desired.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates generally to an ice drill. In onepossible configuration, and by non-limiting example, an ice drillcutting head having cutting rate control pads disposed on the bottomside is disclosed.

In a one aspect of the present disclosure, a cutting head for an icedrill is disclosed. The cutting head includes a main body that isattachable to an ice drill shaft at a top side. The main body includes abottom side that has a bottom peripheral surface. The cutting headincludes at least one cutting edge that is disposed on the main body.The cutting edge is configured to perform a cutting operation at thebottom side of the main body. The cutting head includes a cutting ratecontrol pad that is disposed on the bottom side of the main body. Thecutting rate control pad extends away from the bottom peripheralsurface.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, an ice drill is disclosed.The ice drill includes a motor and a drive shaft attached to the motorat a first end. The ice drill includes an auger assembly that isattached to the drive shaft and a cutting head attached to a second endof the drive shaft. The cutting head includes a main body that has a topside and a bottom side, the bottom side including a bottom peripheralsurface. The cutting head includes at least one cutting edge that isdisposed on the main body. The cutting edge is configured to perform acutting operation at the bottom side of the main body. The cutting headincludes a cutting rate control pad disposed on the bottom side of themain body. The cutting rate control pad extends away from the bottomperipheral surface.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of controlling acutting rate of an ice drill is disclosed. The method includes providinga motor that is attached to a cutting head. The cutting head includes amain body that has a top side and a bottom side. The bottom sideincludes a bottom peripheral surface. The cutting head includes at leastone cutting edge disposed on the main body. The cutting edge isconfigured to perform a cutting operation at the bottom side of the mainbody. The cutting head includes a cutting rate control pad disposed onthe bottom side of the main body. The cutting rate control pad extendsaway from the bottom peripheral surface. The method includes rotatingthe cutting head using the motor. The method also includes cutting ahole in an ice surface using the cutting head.

A variety of additional aspects will be set forth in the descriptionthat follows. The aspects can relate to individual features and tocombinations of features. It is to be understood that both the foregoinggeneral description and the following detailed description are exemplaryand explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventiveconcepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings are illustrative of particular embodiments of thepresent disclosure and therefore do not limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. The drawings are not to scale and are intended for use inconjunction with the explanations in the following detailed description.Embodiments of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described inconjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like numerals denotelike elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of ice drill according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top perspective view of a cutting head of the icedrill of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top perspective view of the cutting head of the icedrill of FIG. 1 without cutting blades mounted;

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the cutting head of theice drill of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the cutting head of the ice drill ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom view of the cutting head of the ice drill ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the cutting head of the ice drill ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 8 illustrates another side view of the cutting head of the icedrill of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of the cutting head of the icedrill of FIG. 1 utilizing a removable cutting rate control pad; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the cutting head of the ice drill ofFIG. 1 utilizing a cutting rate control pad system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts andassemblies throughout the several views. Reference to variousembodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto.Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are notintended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possibleembodiments for the appended claims.

The ice drill disclosed herein has many advantages. The cutting head ofthe ice drill includes cutting rate control pads that are configured tocontrol the cutting rate of the ice drill. While applicable in a varietyof different types of ice drills, the cutting rate control pads arespecifically advantageous in electrically powered ice drills. Bycontrolling the cutting rate of the electric ice drill, a hole in theice can be drilled efficiently to conserve battery power. Further, thecutting rate control pads also reduce the amount of effort it takes forthe operator to drill the hole.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of an ice drill 100. The ice drill includes amotor 102, a drive shaft 104, an auger assembly 106, and a cutting head108. In some examples, the ice drill 100 can be powered manually and notinclude a motor. In the depicted example, the motor 102 is configured torotate the drive shaft 104, which rotates the auger assembly 106, whichrotates the cutting head 108. In operation, the cutting head 108 cuts ahole 110 in an ice surface 112 as it rotates, and the auger assembly 106removes ice shavings from the hole 110 as its rotates.

The ice drill 100 includes a top 101 and a bottom 103. Throughout thisdisclosure, references to orientation (e.g., behind, above, below, high,low, top, bottom, under, underside, etc.) of structural components shallbe defined by that component's positioning in FIG. 1 relative to, asapplicable, the top 101 and bottom 103 of the ice drill 100, regardlessof how the ice drill 100 may be held and regardless of how thatcomponent may be situated on its own (i.e., when separated from the icedrill 100).

The motor 102 can be a variety of different types. In some examples, themotor is a gas powered motor. In other examples, the motor 102 is anelectric motor. In other examples, the motor 102 is a cordless electricmotor that is battery powered. For example, the motor 102 can be acordless electric power drill. The motor 102 includes an output shaft(not shown) that is connectable to drive shaft 104.

The drive shaft 104 is configured to transfer torque from the motor 102to the cutting head 108. In some examples, the drive shaft 104 can beconfigured to quickly couple with the motor 102. In some examples, thedrive shaft 104 has a non-circular cross-section.

The auger assembly 106 includes a plurality of auger wings 114 that areconfigured to transport ice shavings from a bottom to a top of the hole110 during an ice drilling operation. In some examples, the augerassembly 106 includes a plurality of flights 113 that are used toselectively alter the length of the auger assembly 106.

The cutting head 108 is configured to be removable from the augerassembly 106. In some examples, the cutting head 108 can be used withoutan auger assembly. The cutting head 108 is configured to bore the hole110 in the ice surface 112. Specifically, the cutting head 108 includesa main body 115 with at least one cutting blade 116 attached thereto.The main body 115 of the cutting head 108 also includes cutting ratecontrol pads 118 that are configured to control the cutting rate of thecutting head 108. The cutting rate control pads 118 prevent the at leastone cutting blade 116 from over penetrating the ice surface 112. Thecutting rate control pads 118 will be discussed in more detail below.

FIG. 2 shows a top perspective view of the cutting head 108. At a topside 125 of the main body 115, the cutting head 108 is configured toattach to drive shaft 104 via the auger assembly 106.

The main body 115 of the cutting head 108 includes a pair of wings 120extending outwardly from a central body 122. The wings 120 each includea mounting location 124 for a cutting blade 116. The mounting locations124 are positioned on the wings 120 such that each cutting blade 116 canbe mounted in a way to allow it to extend from at least an outer edge126 of the cutting head 108 to the central body 122. In some examples,the cutting blades 116 can be permanently fixed to the mountinglocations 124. In other examples, the cutting blades 116 can beremovably attached to the mounting locations 124 so as to facilitatereplacement as needed. In some examples, the cutting blades 116 areattached to the mounting locations 124 via at least one fastener 127.

The main body 115 of the cutting head 108 can be constructed of avariety of different materials. For example, the main body 115 can beconstructed of metal or plastic. In some examples, the main body 115 isconstructed of aluminum. In some examples, the main body 115 can be castaluminum. In other examples, the main body 115 can be milled from ablock of aluminum. In still other examples, the main body 115 is forgedaluminum.

The cutting blades 116 can be constructed of a variety of materials. Insome examples, the cutting blades 116 are constructed of a high carbonsteel. In some examples, the blades 116 are serrated blades. The cuttingblades 116 include a leading edge 119 that is the edge that firstcontacts the ice surface 112 to begin a cutting operation.

FIG. 3 shows a top perspective view of the cutting head 108 with thecutting blades 116 removed. The main body includes blade pads 117positioned at the mounting locations 124 of the cutting blades 116. Theblade pads 117 are configured to allow for fine tuning of the positionof the cutting blades 116 on the mounting locations 124. For example,the blade pads 117 can be altered (i.e., trimmed, milled, grinded, etc.)to change the mounting of the cutting blades 116. This allows for properpositioning of the cutting blades 116 so as to allow identicalreplacement blades to be identically mounted. In some examples, when themain body 115 is cast, altering the blade pads 117 allows for precisepositioning of the cutting blades 116, which is difficult to achieve inthe metal casting process.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom perspective view of the cutting head 108. At abottom side 128, the cutting head 108, specifically the cutting blades116, is configured to perform a cutting operation. Further, the mainbody 115, at the bottom side 128, includes a bottom peripheral surface130 that is disposed on the bottom side and outer edge of each wing 120.Cutting rate control pads 118 are disposed on the bottom side 128 of themain body 115 at the bottom peripheral surface 130. Specifically, thecutting rate control pads 118 extend away from the bottom peripheralsurface 130.

The main body 115 also includes a center grinding blade 132 disposed onthe bottom side 128. The center grinding blade 132 controls the cuttingrate per drill revolution. Further, the center grinding blade 132 aidsin preventing cutting head 108 from walking across the ice surface 112.

The bottom peripheral surface 130 is a surface defined by the main body115. In the depicted example, the bottom peripheral surface 130 is theouter most surface on the bottom side 128 of the main body. In thedepicted example, the bottom peripheral surface 130 is located on thebottom of each wing 120 and, due to the position of the cutting blades116, the bottom peripheral surface 130 does not travel around the entireperimeter of the cutting head 108. In other examples, the bottomperipheral surface 130 can be positioned around nearly the entireperimeter of the cutting head 108.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the cutting head 108. FIG. 6 depicts a bottomview of the cutting head 108. As shown, the cutting head 108 isgenerally circular in shape. Further, at least a portion of the cuttingrate control pads 118 are located at an angle 0 around the cutting head108 from the leading edge 119 of the cutting blades 116. In someexamples, the angle 0 is between about 85 degrees and about 105 degrees.In some examples, the angle 0 is about 90 degrees. In some examples, thecutting rate control pads 118 are bisected by planes A, B that intersectwith a tip 131 of the center grinding blade 132.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the cutting head 108. As shown, the cuttingrate control pads 118 extend away from the bottom peripheral surface130. In some examples, the cutting rate control pads 118 can be adjustedby the product designer to control the cutting rate of the cutting head108. The cutting rate control pads 118 prevent the cutting blades 116from penetrating too far into the ice surface 112 and cutting toorapidly, which requires more torque to be supplied by the motor 102.When using an electric motor, it is advantageous to keep the load low onthe motor to increase the life of the battery that is powering theelectric motor, which can also increase the life of the electric motor.In some examples, the cutting rate control pads 118 control the cuttingrate of the cutting head 108 so as to increase the number of inchesdrilled per battery when using a battery powered electric motor.

Further, the cutting rate control pads 118 are sized and shaped tocontrol the cutting rate of the cutting head 108 so as to require littleinput from the operator to effectively drill a hole in the ice surface.This aids in reducing operator fatigue, reducing the level of expertiseneeded to drill holes (i.e., pushing down will have little effect on thedrill cutting rate), and improving operator safety because the ice drillbehaves predictably.

Also, the cutting rate control pads 118 control the cutting rate of thecutting head 108 so as to reduce the cutting head 108 from sticking andgrabbing at the bottom of the hole 110 at the point of break through.This also increases the ease of operability of the ice drill 100 andreduces the opportunity for injury due to the ice drill 100 stoppingunexpectedly.

In some examples, the cutting rate control pads 118 are integrallyformed with the main body 115 of the cutting head 108. In otherexamples, the cutting rate control pads 118 are removably attached tothe main body 115 via a fastener such as at least a bolt, adhesive, orother like fastening device. In some examples, the cutting rate controlpads 118 include a low friction coating such as polytetrafluoroethylene.In other examples still, the cutting rate control pad 118 is constructedof a different material than the main body 115 such as a low frictionpolymer (e.g. polyethene).

FIG. 8 shows another side view of the cutting head 108. The cutting ratecontrol pads 118 have a height H that is a variable. In some examples,the cutting rate control pads 118 have a height H, measured from thebottom peripheral surface 130, between about 0.025 inches and about0.125 inches. In some examples, the height H of the cutting rate controlpads is about 0.075 inches.

As shown, the leading edge 119 of the cutting blade 116 is verticallyoffset at a distance D lower than the cutting rate control pads 118. Insome examples, the distance D is between about 0.180 inches and about0.220 inches. In some examples, the distance D is about 0.200 inches.

FIG. 9 shows a cutting rate control pad 218 according to one embodimentof the present disclosure. Specifically, the cutting rate control pad218 is removable from the cutting head 108 so that it can be replaced.The user may choose to replace the cutting rate control pads 218 if theybecome worn or if a different cutting rate is desired. In some examples,the cutting rate control pad 218 can be attached to the cutting head 108using a variety of methods. For example, the cutting rate control pad218 can be attached to the cutting head 108 by a weld, a fastener, anadhesive, or other like method. In some examples, the cutting head 108is configured to receive a plurality of cutting rate control pads 218 atdifferent locations on the cutting head 108.

FIG. 10 shows a cutting rate control pad 318 a according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the cutting ratecontrol pad 318 a is both removable from the cutting head 108 and alsoconfigured to receive multiple auxiliary cutting rate control pads 318b, 318 c stacked thereon. In some examples, the auxiliary cutting ratecontrol pads 318 b, 318 c can be added to alter the cutting rate andalso to account for wear of the control pads 318 a. In some examples,only a single auxiliary cutting rate control pad can be utilized, and inother examples, a plurality of auxiliary cutting rate control pads canbe utilized. In some examples, a fastener 319 can be used to secure thecutting rate control pads 318 a, 318 b, 318 c to the cutting head 108.In other examples, a set of fasteners 319 can be used to secure thecutting rate control pads 318 a, 318 b, 318 c to the cutting head. Asnoted above, the cutting rate control pads 318 a, 318 b, 318 c can beattached to the cutting head 108 using a variety of methods. Forexample, the cutting rate control pads 318 a, 318 b, 318 c can beattached to the cutting head 108 by a weld, a fastener, an adhesive, orother like method. In some examples, the cutting head 108 is configuredto receive a plurality of cutting rate control pads 318 a, 318 b, 318 cat different locations on the cutting head 108.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the claimsattached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize variousmodifications and changes that may be made without following the exampleembodiments and applications illustrated and described herein, andwithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the followingclaims.

We claim:
 1. A cutting head for an ice drill comprising: a main bodyattachable to an ice drill shaft at a top side, the main body includinga bottom side having a bottom peripheral surface; at least one cuttingedge disposed on the main body, the cutting edge being configured toperform a cutting operation at the bottom side of the main body; and acutting rate control pad disposed on the bottom side of the main body,wherein the cutting rate control pad extends away from the bottomperipheral surface.
 2. The cutting head of claim 1, wherein the cuttingedge is spaced away at a first distance, in a direction away from thebottom side of the main body, from an ice interfacing surface of thecutting rate control pad, the ice interfacing surface being configuredto contact an ice surface during a drilling operation.
 3. The cuttinghead of claim 2, wherein the first distance is between about 0.180inches and about 0.220 inches.
 4. The cutting head of claim 1, whereinthe cutting rate control pad is removable from the main body.
 5. Thecutting head of claim 1, wherein the cutting rate control pad isintegrally formed with the main body.
 6. The cutting head of claim 1,further comprising a plurality of cutting rate control pads disposed onthe bottom side of the main body.
 7. The cutting head of claim 1,further comprising a plurality of cutting edges disposed on the mainbody.
 8. The cutting head of claim 1, wherein the cutting edge is aremovable blade attached to the main body.
 9. The cutting head of claim1, wherein the cutting edge is angled upwardly away from the bottom sideof the main body, and wherein the cutting edge extends below the bottomside of the main body.
 10. The cutting head of claim 1, wherein the mainbody includes a pair of wings extending outwardly from a center body,the pair of wings each including cutting edges disposed thereon andcutting rate control pads disposed on bottom surfaces thereof
 11. Thecutting head of claim 1, wherein the main body has a generally circularprofile, and wherein the cutting rate control pad is disposed on thebottom peripheral surface at a position between about 70 degrees andabout 110 degrees away from the cutting edge.
 12. The cutting head ofclaim 1, wherein, when the main body is rotated, the cutting edgeexecutes a circular cutting pattern at the bottom side of the main body.13. The cutting head of claim 1 attached to an ice drill, the ice drillincluding a motor.
 14. An ice drill comprising: a motor; a drive shaftattached to the motor at a first end; an auger assembly attached to thedrive shaft; a cutting head attached to a second end of the drive shaft,the cutting head including: a main body having a top side and a bottomside, the bottom side including a bottom peripheral surface; at leastone cutting edge disposed on the main body, the cutting edge beingconfigured to perform a cutting operation at the bottom side of the mainbody; and a cutting rate control pad disposed on the bottom side of themain body, wherein the cutting rate control pad extends away from thebottom peripheral surface.
 15. The ice drill of claim 14, wherein thecutting edge is spaced away at a first distance, in a direction awayfrom the bottom side of the main body, from an ice interfacing surfaceof the cutting rate control pad, the ice interfacing surface beingconfigured to contact an ice surface during a drilling operation. 16.The ice drill of claim 15, wherein the first distance is between about0.125 inches and 0.025 inches.
 17. The ice drill of claim 15, whereinthe cutting rate control pad is removable from the main body.
 18. Theice drill of claim 14, wherein the motor is an electric motor.
 19. Amethod of controlling a cutting rate of an ice drill comprising:providing a motor attached to a cutting head, the cutting headincluding: a main body having a top side and a bottom side, the bottomside including a bottom peripheral surface; at least one cutting edgedisposed on the main body, the cutting edge being configured to performa cutting operation at the bottom side of the main body; and a cuttingrate control pad disposed on the bottom side of the main body, whereinthe cutting rate control pad extends away from the bottom peripheralsurface; rotating the cutting head using the motor; and cutting a holein an ice surface using the cutting head.
 20. The method of claim 19,further comprising contacting the ice surface with the cutting ratecontrol pad when cutting the hole in the ice surface.